Spolsky On Geeks
Traveler's Insurance is running a big ad in Inc. Magazine, headlined "“To catch a geek, you have to think like a geek" and discussing how well they protect businesses from the threat posed by geeks and hackers. Joel Spolsky has the right response.
I'm sorry, Travelers, maybe the current Bush presidency has given you the idea that it's ok to make fun of the scientists, inventors, researchers and programmers who are creating the future, finding cures for your diseases, building the spreadsheets you use to figure out how much commission you're making, and educating your idiot progeny. Maybe a know-nothing in the White House has given you the idea that it's somehow acceptable now to poke fun of geeks and nerds, in big two-page ad spreads on the inside front cover of a magazine for founders of startups. But you know what, morons? You probably forgot that most of the people that read Inc. are geeks. And we buy insurance. Lots of insurance. Like me. And in fact I used to buy it from you. But not any more.